


Hold-Up

by Nununununu



Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bounty Hunters, Don't copy to another site, Fantasy, Female Friendship, First Meetings, Gen, Genre Fusion, Pre-Relationship, Treasure Hunting, Western
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-18
Updated: 2020-02-18
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:35:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22693375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nununununu/pseuds/Nununununu
Summary: There was quite the ruckus going on outside.
Relationships: Bounty Hunter & Treasure Hunter Cowgirl, Original Female Character & Original Female Character, Original Female Character/Original Female Character
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11
Collections: Valentines Day Gift Exchange 2020





	Hold-Up

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you like this, Cruria :) Thanks for the fun prompts!
> 
> Can read as friendship or pre-relationship. Date adjusted for author reveals (orig posted 14/02).

There was quite the ruckus going on outside.

Stella knocked back her whiskey, rose from her seat at the tiny little town’s only bar, and went to fetch her hat from the stand. She could hear the local Mayor shouting as she pushed through the saloon’s double doors, clearly trying to retain control over a situation that seemed liable to go out of hand. The heat and brightness of the midday sun slammed down on her as she hopped down off the wooden veranda running around the edge of the building, bypassing the steps in favour of vaulting over the railings, her booted feet landing steadily in the dust and the dirt.

“What’s going on?” Shouldering through the fast-growing crowd of gawkers, she found the Mayor on his knees in the centre of the town’s single street, a gun of a kind she hadn’t seen on this little backwater island aimed at his temple, held in the gloved hand of the dark masked figure menacing him.

“Stay back!” In peril as he was, the Mayor had enough care to warn her.

“Don’t worry about me, friend,” Stella looped her thumb casually over her belt, near enough to her own pistol she could quickly and easily draw, yet refraining from actually touching the weapon as yet. She spoke to the bounty hunter next, “What’s that?”

A glowing sphere of pale silver spellwork was grasped in the bounty hunter’s other fist. The bounty hunter cocked the gun in lieu of a reply.

“An old magic-map?” Stella persisted. She’d seen them before and found them rarely reliable, if the spell even still deigned to ignite, “It’s definitely faulty if it’s led you here. There’s no prize to be found in this town.”

The dark masked face turned to her. Behind Stella, the group of onlookers attempted to move aside as subtly as possible, which wasn't very.

“What’s it to you,” The bounty hunter’s voice was toneless, electronically distorted by the mask.

“Why, I’m on the lookout for treasure myself,” Stella waved her hand towards the aircraft she’d left on the edge of town, visible in the distance behind the stables, “Raiders wrecked my plane when I was heading in from overseas; thought I’d stop off here to say hello to the horses and wet my whistle while seeing to the repairs.”

The bounty hunter seemed to take in the sad pile of wreckage.

“Your venture is doomed.”

“Yours doesn’t need to be,” Grinning a bit despite herself, Stella nodded at the sleek little speeder that must be the bounty hunter’s, waiting in readiness to one side, “I’d wager you’ve got something bigger and fancier than that, somewhere away from all this sand.”

She stirred the dust that blew in from the desert illustratively with the toe of a boot.

“Indeed, there is a pirate’s vessel I commandeered docked at the coast with guns rigged to fire at any intruders,” was the slow reply, the bounty hunter seemingly weighing her up. The townspeople were looking back and forth between them, while the Mayor remained on his knees, tense but quiet.

“Sounds ideal for use in these waters,” Stella tried to swallow her longing.

A ripple went around the crowd when the bounty hunter extinguished the sphere, placing it in one of many pouches, and then pulled off her helmet, revealing intelligent eyes set in a narrow face and a tumble of fiery hair.

“I’ve been hired to locate and retrieve the leader of a criminal syndicate currently in hiding,” she informed Stella, “My contact informed me there was information to be found here. You would do well not to get in my way.”

“Only criminals here seem to be the few raiders holed up out in the desert, all known well by these locals. Oh, and someone once attempted to steal their neighbour’s cow,” Shrugging, Stella indicated the gentleman who had been telling her that very story an hour earlier, making him blanch and step back. She rolled her eyes. “I might be more accustomed to seeking out treasure than people, but I’m a dab hand at tracking things down. How about we cut a deal?”

“You want off of this rock,” was the blunt assessment.

“Sure do,” Stella agreed, “Won’t make trouble and won't attempt to cut in on your hunt, either. Even if I’m a darn sight better at fixing up old junk like magic-maps than I am at repairing planes.”

The bounty hunter stared at her for a long while. Stella kept her stance open and easy, her hand on her belt relaxed.

“Fine,” the other woman agreed eventually, and withdrew her gun from the Mayor’s temple, the man letting out a gasp as he sagged. She nodded at Stella, “I’m Ruth.”

“Stella,” Stella stepped forwards to help the Mayor up to his feet and then took Ruth’s outstretched hand, “Good to meet you.”

“Likewise,” Ruth managed a slanted smile that seemed genuine, for all she might not have had the chance to practice it as of late.

Stella returned the smile as they shook, “Here’s to working together successfully.”

And, for the next twenty-five years until they retired rich from their endeavours, they did.


End file.
